DISAPPOINTMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 84, 6 October 1938, Page 27

DISAPPOINTMENTS

SOME CAUSES OF FAILURE

In gardening, perhaps more than in any other occupation, one has to be prepared for disappointments and failures. In spite of this it is doubtful whether any other hobby gives such satisfying results. Even our failures act as an incentive to renewed endeavour. Failures and disappointments are the common experience of all gardeners, even professionals, and in some cases are caused by unavoidable circumstances, but it may be safely stated that in the great majority of cases bad management is at the bottom of the trouble. First let us consider the failures with seeds. The seed is sown and fails to produce plants, arid immediately the gardener blames the seed, while quite often the failure is caused by careless or incorrect sowing. Seed beds should, as a general rule, be firm. This does nbt mean that they are to be hard, but ground which is freshly dug should be firmed down by tramping if dry enough, or a board may be put down and tramped on. The drills are then made, the seed sown and covered, and the surface very lightly raked over to avoid a crust. It will probably be found necessary to rake between the rows at frequent intervals to maintain an open surface. Another cause of failure is covering the seed too deeply. In such cases the young growth gets smothered or has not sufficient strength to reach the surface. The need of the seed beds being broken down fine is easily understood, as when hard lumps exist some of the seed must inevitably get beneath the lumps, where it hasn't a chance.

Still another cause of disappointment is when seedlings come through and then disappear mysteriously. This may be caused by the young growth being eaten off by slugs or insects. There is another cause not generally recognised, arid that is that the seeds germinate but the surface soil is allowed to get bone-dry, with the result that the tiny seedlings are shrivelled up, not having had time to thrust their roots deep enough to reach moisture. This is a very frequent cause of failure in light or sandy soils, especially when the seed is sown late in the season. In localities with such soils the seed beds require to be shaded lightly and water must be given whenever the surface shows signs of drying out. This may mean watering twice a day during windy weather.

Failures often occur with seedlings after they are planted out—they fail to recover from the shock of the move. If box-grown seedlings are procured, there should be no losses, as they are usually well hardened off before being sold. The secret of success is firm planting in well-worked soil and puddling them in, especially if the weather is dry. It is not a wise plan to add a lot of artificial manure to the soil either immediately before or at the time of planting, as it is apt to burn the tender roots. About a week dr ten days after planting, some chemical manure or bonedust may be sprinkled over the ground and pricked in with the fork. The young plants have started to make .fresh growth by that time and are capable of benefiting by the application.